May 17, 2020 - Sermon - Rev. Mark Simone (Confirmation Sunday)

Sermon Text

As Hamilton shared last week, the book of Acts, or the Actions of the Apostles, falls into the stories of the two-primary establisher of the Christian faith following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. Peter takes center stage in the first half of Acts, and then the spotlight turns on Paul for the remainder of the book.

            In today’s scripture, we find Paul in the midst of his second mission journey. He is in Athens, Greece making his way to the Areopagus (airy-op-e-ges) which is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis. From the internet I learned that in classical times, the Areopagus functioned as the court, or sorts, for trying deliberate homicide, wounding others and religious matters. You could also be brought here if you were involved in cases concerning arson or olive trees. Which makes me think olive trees were a big deal in Athenian life. The Areopagus is literally a huge, flat area of white rock where leaders convened for decision making of legal matters and discussion of religion, of which there was great interest. We find Paul now speaking to the gathered body of intellectuals, politicians and members as he tell them about Jesus. Ben will now read for us.

Acts 17:22-31 (The Message – adapted)

22-23 So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with.

24-29 “The God who made the world and everything in it, this Ruler of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errand, as if God couldn’t take care of himself. God makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make God. Starting from scratch, God made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find God. God doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. God is not remote; but near. We live and move in God, can’t get away from God! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

30-31 “God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and God is calling for a radical life-change. God has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And God has already appointed the judge, confirming Jesus before everyone by raising Christ from the dead.”

Paul, in a very gentle way, is addressing a monument they had set up to acknowledge the existence of a god of whom they may not be aware. So, Paul begins by complimenting them on their religious openness and then proceeds to share with them who this Unknown God is. He tells them about Jesus. He talks of Jesus as creator and Jesus as ruler. He points out that Jesus has come to change lives and to set all matters in nature and humanity right. And he tells them of Christ’s resurrection and his victory of death. Timing wise, this speech was thought to be delivered about 15 or so years after Christ’s resurrection.

Paul’s point is that in their wise openness to keep a monument to the God they may not know, they held a place for the eventual recognition of Jesus. He doesn’t attack them or judge them or abuse them in any way. He uses a tone of solving the question of who this god might be. He shares with them about Jesus.

And that has been our joy with you in confirmation this year. To share with you about Jesus and to bring your understanding about God to a level far higher than the way we talk about God in Sunday School. We always treated you as intelligent, thoughtful young adults and we respected your ideas as well as your questions. Bob, Tony and I were blessed by your seriousness with the topics we presented. You made it a joy for us to be with you, and we loved watching you become a group of fair-minded thinkers.

You told us what you accepted and believed and what your still questioned. You told us of your deep belief that all people are God’s children no matter where they lived or how they expressed their lives. You said all means all and love conquers all of life’s challenges. You told us that you had an awareness of God’s presence in your lives in various ways and expressions. We could see in you a growing understanding of what Paul was trying to convey to the Athenians at the Areopagus – that we can know the Unknown God. That The God Nobody Knows came to be with us in this life and in the life to come. How marvelous is that.

The other important part of our scripture lesson is that Paul found it essential to tell others about this God who is known to us as Jesus. All three of his missionary journeys were intended to share with others that God loves all and accepts all. That Jesus died for our sins, offering us forgiveness. And that the Holy Spirit brings meaning to our lives, living deep within us and guiding us into all that is true.

A dear friend of mine, Elsie Lutman, brought me a book a few years ago. It is a pictorial of called I am Because We Are: African Wisdom in Image and Proverb. It is a remarkable book and a cherished gift. The title reflects a Zulu word that I have learned and used, Ubuntu (Oo Buun Tu). Ubuntu is an Nguni (N-goo-nie) word that is shared by the Nguni people – known as the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi people. These are the people groups I work with most often in South Africa. They all hold the philosophy of ubuntu, means "humanity to others". The broader connotation is of "I am what I am because of who we all are". It is the heart of their ancient philosophy just it is the heart of our equally ancient Christian faith. Being in community with you makes me who I am. There is no me without the us.

Bob Abley has some thoughts which reflect how your presence in his life made him something better than he was before knowing you. Bob wants you to know, “I enjoyed our year together; abbreviated as it was. I always looked forward to those Sunday mornings. It was an honor and privilege to accompany you on your spiritual journey and I hope you felt the same. I always came away with a deeper appreciation of each one of you as you wrestled with your questions and explored your faith. You may not realize it, but you helped me as well. I thank you for that and wish you more than luck in the future. 

Tony, Bob and I are better because of ubuntu with you.

The Body of Christ is one of the ways we talk about ubuntu in our faith. So is Christian Fellowship. Or being together in a worship service. Or even online. We are together even when we are apart. Jesus calls us to be one body, identifying our value in his own image. Not becoming less of who we are but letting the Spirit of the Living God guide us in our growth and development for all of our lives.

And that is why we, as a church, prioritize this time of teaching, questioning and instruction for this point in your lives. Your faith is so needed in this world and in our church family. Your service to others, your encouragement, your positive outlook and your immensely wonderful gifts and superpowers. You guys are the best-est.